From the article:
“Several minutes later, at about 3:49 a.m., a security officer working at the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) called 911 to report that an explosion had occurred about five minutes prior, at the northwest corner of Washington Avenue and Bainbridge Street.”
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From SPLC and Bill Bar:
DESIGNATING ANTIFA AS DOMESTIC TERRORIST ORGANIZATION IS DANGEROUS, THREATENS CIVIL LIBERTIES
Excerpt:
“Amid sustained civil unrest at protests over the killing of George Floyd, President Donald Trump tweeted Sunday, “The United States of America will be designating ANTIFA as a Terrorist Organization.”
Antifa, short for anti-fascist, is a broad, community-based movement composed of individuals organizing against racial and economic injustice. Those who identify with the label represent a large spectrum of the political left. The Trump administration frequently uses the term to describe any group or individual that demonstrates in opposition to its policies. Far-right extremists use similar tactics.
The move by the president is an unprecedented and alarming development with significant implications for the civil liberties of U.S. citizens, particularly those of color, who are already disproportionately policed. The designation would grant federal law enforcement broad powers, under the federal terrorism code, to surveil and investigate anyone labeled as antifa. It could also allow federal law enforcement to broadly target anyone involved in protests viewed unfavorably by the Trump administration, even retroactively.
President Trump’s announcement is rooted in politics, not the present realities of the terror threat in the U.S. Classifying antifa as a domestic terror organization has been a wish-list item for the president’s allies on the far right and in the conservative mainstream for years. The designation retreads some of the darkest moments in our federal law enforcement’s past, further victimizes communities that have already been wronged and presents a dire threat to the civil liberties of all citizens.
On Saturday, Attorney General William P. Barr issued a statement regarding George Floyd’s death and the resulting protests in several U.S. cities. Barr condemned “anarchistic and far left extremists, using Antifa-like tactics,” and described the outrage of protesters over the death of George Floyd as “real and legitimate.”
Individuals loosely affiliated with antifa are typically involved in skirmishes and property crimes at demonstrations across the country, but the threat of lethal violence pales in comparison to that posed by far-right extremists — a problem that, until the last year, federal authorities virtually ignored.”
Forgot the link:
Wow, AL.com used the SPLC’s language about Antifa almost verbatim.
The left is interconnected and relentlessly committed to the narrative.